Striking the right chord: The Cheltenham Music Festival 

One of the UK’s longest-running music festivals is bringing classical music to all.

Striking the right chord: Cheltenham Music Festival

Since its launch in 1945, the annual Cheltenham Music Festival celebrates classical music with a mission to create the next generation of music lovers. This year’s offering, held between 8–15 July, will feature artists including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, The Carice Singers and Manchester Collective.

Beyond the pleasure of enjoying musical delights in the glorious surrounds of the Cotswolds, the music festival seeks to bring culture to as wide and diverse an audience as possible. ‘Music is a universal language,’ says Pip Claridge, Education Manager at Cheltenham Festivals.

That’s why Attivo is especially proud to announce we will continue our sponsorship of one such inclusive event, the Relaxed Concert, a performance specifically designed to welcome groups from SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) schools across Gloucestershire.

Set in an informal environment and featuring the casually dressed Gloucestershire Orchestra on the flat (rather than the formal ‘round’), all presenters use simple language and Makaton signing to encourage the attendees – young people with autistic spectrum disorders, sensory and communication disorders and/or physical disability – to respond naturally to the music and musicians.

To further the experience, the students can then mingle and meet the musicians and each other, join workshops or try out an instrument for themselves. One teacher whose class attended last year’s concert said: ‘It was a great success for our students, and I cannot think of a single detail I would change.’ That’s certainly music to Attivo’s ears. For the full line-up, click here.